Air New Zealand snares Betty White to front ‘Safety Old School Style’ campaign via True

Air New Zealand has released the latest in their now famed air safety videos – this one featuring the hilarious Betty White and a cast of golden oldies in Safety Old School Style.

The airline’s reputation for overstepping the conventional safety message continues in the video which focuses on living life to the fullest in true Air New Zealand style. Produced by Auckland based creative advertising agency True and production company 8com, the Australian Public Relations campaign will be delivered by Hill+Knowlton Strategies and media undertaken by Phd.

VIEW ‘SAFETY OLD SCHOOL STYLE’

Set at the fictional ‘Second Wind Retirement Resort’ in the United States, Safety Old School Style is the airline’s first safety video to be filmed outside of New Zealand. It features the former Golden Girls star with ‘The Love Boat’s Gavin MacLeod and fellow residents living life to the full.

Air New Zealand head of global brand development Jodi Williams says Air New Zealand’s brand is all about liberating from the ordinary.

Says Williams: “As a small airline at the bottom of the world, we have to think outside the square when it comes to driving brand awareness and conveying important safety messages to our millions of customers.  Partnering with influencers like Betty has proven an effective way of doing this. Our safety videos have proven a great way to showcase our unique personality to audiences of all ages around the world. In Betty we found the perfect partner – she is renowned for being a little bit cheeky and with a career spanning 74 years, who better to learn survival tips from than the award-winning show business veteran?”

Previous Air New Zealand’s safety videos, including the Hobbit-themed ‘An Unexpected Briefing’ and ‘The Bear Essentials’ featuring adventurer Bear Grylls, have  gained an impressive online following in their own right – collectively they have clocked up more than 25 million views online and have featured in coverage by global media outlets, such as CNN, BBC and the New York Times.

Betty White says she had been exploring opportunities to work with Air New Zealand for some time.

Says White: “Air New Zealand has a global reputation for creating unique in-flight safety videos.  When the opportunity came up to be involved in this project, I couldn’t say no.  We had a lot of fun on set and I think we’ve shown that it doesn’t matter what age you are, it’s important to live life to the full.”

To celebrate the launch of Safety Old School Style Air New Zealand is giving online viewers the chance to win the trip of a lifetime to either Palm Springs, California or Queenstown in New Zealand’s South Island, including a raft of activities.  To enter, viewers need to share their story of how they are living life to the full at www.airnewzealand.com/safetyoldschool

Advertising agency – True

Susan Davidson – Global Brand Engagement Manager